OK, so this range session was actually supposed to start Monday, but from the time I left my house to when I reached the range (~35mi ESE) the wind had picked up to a steady 30mph with gusts probably exceeding 45mph. I would take a target out to my stand and it would usually begin tearing apart in my hands before I could tape it up. So with out wanting to waste the day I just shot around at various pieces of wood, rocks, dirt clods, etc.

Yesterday was much different. It was nice and cold (~20-25 F) at 10:00AM very calm with a light dusting of snow on the ground and more flurries beginning to fall. I was the only one out there (as usual for a Monday or Thursday) and as I left the club house I was told to take my time as today was on the house.

I got set up at 50 yards to start, perched up on a shot up stool and 6"x6" heavy timber and began adjusting my front sight, a KNS duplex, cross-hair reticle replacement. With the original front sight post I was having windage issues, but after getting elevation dialed in, it required no further adjustment. I got up off the stool, threw some other scrap lumber out, spread around from 50-75 yards and began practicing target acquisition. After you get used to it, this sight allows much faster and accurate pick up than your standard diameter post. After about 2 mags and lumber disintegrated I went back to my stool.

I installed a quick detachable side scope mount and a cheap NCStar 2-6 x 28mm scope, (Hey it's an AK what more do you want?) and a Wilson Combat recoil buffer. I got it zeroed at 50 yards, then set my stand back up at 100yards. I couldn't tell much difference with the recoil buffer in place, but the recoil from an AK has never been a factor for me in the first place. So I attached what it put on paper.

So after knowing it was hitting pretty true I went back to shooting at scraps laying between 75-100 yards with the scope on. Target acquisition was much slower, but I'd hit them every time, even when the hold was a little off, as opposed to the iron sights, in which I could get more rounds down range, but with a few misses here and there.

I ran out of my mil-surp ammo (don't really know which country, box read 20 stuck, with the two little dots over the u?) and switched to Wolf. I put another paper back up (sorry didn't save) and printed another 30 rounds. The Wolf was not nearly as consistent as the mil-surp, but that didn't stop me from blasting through another 200 or so rounds of it.

Sometime in the middle of my blasting I installed an adjustable bi-pod, and it threw point of impact WAY off. It was quickly removed and put back in box.

Before I left (the snow started coming down pretty hard) I removed the scope mount and re-installed. To my pleasant surprise it held zero "good enough" and I removed it again.

Throughout the session 6 mags were used, 3 30rd and 3 40rd, 4 (2 of each) of eastern European origin and 2 KCI (one of each). The only one that acted up was the KCI 40rd. It wouldn't feed last 4-5 rounds on every occasion it was used and was subsequently marked with an X.

In all about 400 rounds were spent and the AK seemed to be asking for more.

Oh. . . I get it. Sorry I was slow picking that one up, I've never really gone to ranges to shoot and the owner/operators of the range I frequent aren't too concerned with that stuff. There's never more than one party inside a berm and they are familiar with the usual pistol/rifle suspects so they just let us be, knowing we're safe. Just so long as we pickup all the non-biodegradable debris from what ever we blow up that day.